Assassin's Creed - Corrupted Protectors
by TheKaizoku
Summary: Four years after Assassin's Creed Syndicate, in 1872, the Rooks are faced with a new problem. Templars have infiltrated the ranks of the police, and it is up to Jacob and Evie Frye, Master Assassins and leaders of the Rooks, to wipe them out. If you liked the story or have any comments, please review, favourite and follow.
1. Chapter 1

Jacob was lounging in his house, relaxing, when a Rook rushed in. "Master Frye, a group of us have gotten into trouble with the police."

Jacob got up from his couch immediately. The year was currently 1872, and Jacob was now twenty-five. "The police, you say?" Jacob asked.

"Aye. They're a street away, trying to fight off a bunch of police officers."

"You're dismissed. I'll be there in less than ten minutes."

He quickly got dressed in his Assassin robes and only had time to take his brass knuckles and revolver. Jacob saw the fight from a distance away. Policemen, armed with batons and revolvers, were fighting a group of Rooks.

Jacob immediately drew his six-shot revolver, shooting two policemen in non-fatal areas. As the two policemen dropped to the ground, Jacob closed the gap between him and the fighting.

He heard a crack as one of his brass knuckles came into contact with one of the third police officer's cheeks. Jacob punched the policeman one more time in the same area, and he went unconscious.

Turning around, Jacob saw the fourth policeman bringing his baton down on him. Jacob rolled away in time and grabbed the officer's extended arm, using it to throw him onto the ground. While the policeman was face down on the ground, Jacob punched him once in the back.

As Jacob looked around him, he saw the Rooks finishing off the last few policemen. He saw a lieutenant, Logan Blimes, preparing to knock the last policeman unconscious.

"Lieutenant, stop!" Jacob ordered. Logan obeyed, and Jacob walked over to him.

"Restraint the officer," Jacob said. Logan and another Rook each held one of the policeman's arms, ensuring that he did not try to attack Jacob.

Jacob smiled coldly at the officer and asked, "Who sent you? Why did you attack my men?"

The officer, whose helmet had dropped off his head, replied, "That is classified information."

Sneering, Jacob hit the officer once in the belly. The policeman coughed hard. "Is it still classified information?"

The policeman was hesitating. Jacob sighed and punched the policeman once more in the stomach. Logan and the other Rook pulled the policeman away before he vomited on the ground.

Jacob waited patiently for the policeman to finish vomiting, which only took around ten seconds. "Still classified information?"

"There was no reason given," the policeman coughed, before continuing. "We were just given orders to arrest. The man who gave the order…was…was Captain James Hathings."

"James Hathings, are you sure you have the correct name?" Jacob wanted to confirm.

Nodding, the policeman stuttered, "I…I am pre…pretty sure."

"You better be," Jacob said as he nodded at Logan. Logan then knocked the officer unconscious and the two Rooks lay his body on the ground.

As Jacob stood up, he told the Rooks, "Split up. Logan, you come with me. I want to hear why you got attacked by the police."

Back at the Seven Bells, a tavern that was also the main base of Jacob and his sister, Evie Frye, Logan explained to Jacob, "We were in one group, sir. We weren't doing anything illegal then. A police wagon saw us and I guess they must have called for backup."

"I want you to tell all the other Rooks, to be careful. And also get the Rooks to investigate of Captain James Hathings."

Logan nodded in reply, before getting up and leaving the tavern. Jacob looked around the tavern and saw Clara, a young girl who was an ally of his. He called Clara over and she did so immediately.

"Clara, I need you to pay close attention to anything that has to do with the police and Rooks. Both the City of London and Metropolitan Police. And also anything related to an officer named Captain James Hathings."

"Alright, got it," Clara replied before running off, continuing to do her work.

Jacob went up and found Evie in her room. "Evie, I need to tell you something."

Evie scanned Jacob's face. "Looks like bad news. Tell me."

"A group of our men got into trouble with the police. One of them told me that were attacked for no reason. I think the Templars have infiltrated the police, or worse, the government or maybe even the monarchy."

"Well, that's very bad news. I trust you've told Clara to open wide her ears and the Rooks to watch out?"

"Yes, but we shouldn't wait here until they get something, should we? We should do some work on our own," suggested Jacob. "One of the policemen told me that they were sent by a policeman named Captain James Hathings. I've already informed Clara and the Rooks about this. Once they know more about our target we can strike."

"Okay then. Be sure to tell me when you receive the news," Evie said as she polished her weapons.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days later, both Clara and the Rooks had information for Jacob. Captain James Hathings was a policeman in the Metropolitan Police, the son of a relatively famous nobleman named Jason Hathings. James was in his late twenties, had a handsome face, and was known to wear the most expensive clothing he had to the Royal Strand Theatre, which he visited almost every night.

After relaying the information to Evie, Jacob asked, "Shall we strike tonight? There is a good chance he'll be there."

"Well, I see no harm in trying. Tonight it is."

That night, Jacob and Evie made their way to the Royal Strand Theatre. While waiting for James Hathings to arrive, they stumbled upon a good plan. Thus, Jacob 'borrowed' a carriage in the meantime.

Jacob sat on the carriage patiently, waiting for James to arrive. Soon, Captain Hathings arrived in a taxi. He paid the carriage driver and started walking towards the theatre.

At that moment, Evie hopped off the carriage and ran towards Captain Hathings.

"What is a find lady like yourself doing here?" Captain Hathings asked flirtatiously as Evie showed up beside him.

"You are the son of Jason Hathings, are you not?"

James smiled and took a bow. "James Hathings, the name is. A pleasure to be with you, lady. May I know your name?"

"Your father has been hospitalised at St Bartholomew Hospital at Smithfield. He requests your presence at once," Evie said.

James raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was in France?"  
"He is in London now. Come with me, quickly. The carriage he has sent is already waiting."

Evie entered the carriage first, followed by James. The moment she closed the carriage door, Jacob took off.

"What does a fine lady like yourself have to do with my father?" James asked, at the same time slipping a hand onto her thigh.

"You seem not to care one bit for your father," Evie commented.

James shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone has to die someday."

In a second, Evie had her Hidden Blade out and had James at knifepoint.

"Put the weapon down at once!" James ordered. "Who the heck are you two anyway?"

"I'm Evie Frye, the gentleman steering the carriage is Jacob Frye."

As Evie said his name, Jacob tipped his top hat. "You should know our names very well, Captain Hathings. The two leaders of the Rooks," Jacob said.

James trembled in fear as Evie continued, "Why did you send policemen after our men?"

"They…they were criminals! Obviously I had to do my…my job!"

"What do you know about the Templars?" Evie questioned.

"Never heard that name before," James lied.

Evie pressed her Hidden Blade hard against James' throat. Soon blood began to drip down his neck.

"What do you know about the Templars?" Evie repeated her question.

In the blink of an eye, James had pulled out a silver pin and pressed it against Evie's throat. Evie saw that it had the Templar insignia on the pin.

"So you are a Templar," Evie said calmly. In one fluid movement she knocked the Templar pin out of James' hand and slammed his head against the seat of the carriage.

As James' head bled, Evie asked, "Which of your Templar higher-ups gave you the order?"

James had dropped his gentlemanly behaviour and spat on Evie's shoes. "Like hell I'll give you the answer."

At that moment, Jacob pulled the carriage to a stop. They were in a deserted alleyway. Evie opened the carriage door and pushed James out of it.

He seized the opportunity and attempted to escape. Jacob drew his throwing knife and warned, "If you continue running, Mr Hathings, I will not hesitate to throw this knife at you."

James glanced backwards, hesitating when he saw the throwing knife, but continued running anyways. Jacob sighed before hurling the knife at James.

The knife hit its target, right in James' back. James fell face-flat onto the ground. As he tried to get up, Jacob and Evie quickly closed the distance and restrained James. James looked in front of him and saw that he was still a distance away from the alley's exit.

"Redeem yourself, Templar. Who gave you the order?" Jacob said.

"Why need I redeem myself, if I have done no wrong?" James said stubbornly.

"Even when left with no choice, you are still stubborn. I must commend you for your bravery. But in this case, bravery will do you no good," Jacob grabbed James by his hair and smashed his head on the ground. He could hear James' skull crack. Jacob then drove the throwing knife deeper into James, soon piercing through his heart.

Jacob pulled the throwing knife out and cleaned it on James' clothing, before putting it away. "I'm sure the Rooks and Clara will get some useful information soon," Jacob told Evie.

As Jacob and Evie walked out of the alleyway, they saw two carriages pull up. Six men dressed in blue uniforms and steel helmets exited from the carriage, drawing rifles and aiming them at the two Assassins.

Jacob looked at Evie and whispered, "We can't fight them all. We'll have to act. Go along with me."

"I'm glad you officers are here! My sister and I witnessed a horrible crime being committed!" Jacob kept glancing backwards, as if there was a fleeing criminal.

One of the policemen asked, "Who is the culprit of this terrible crime?"

"He's running away now! Officers, please catch the terrible man!" Evie pleaded.

Four of the policemen began running down the alleyway, wanting to catch the 'culprit' they had mentioned. The remaining two policemen examined James Hathings' body.

"Do you know who this is?" one of the officers asked Jacob and Evie.

Evie replied, "Of course, he was a friend of ours. Captain James Hathings, he is. We were shocked to see him bleeding out in the alleyway."

The second policeman asked, "How was Captain Hathings killed?"

Jacob drew his revolver and shot both of the policemen in the back. The two officers fell on Captain Hathings.

"Why did you do that for?"

"How else would we make a getaway?" Jacob said as he began to walk briskly towards the exit of the alleyway. "Let's take our leave, before we get arrested."

Evie sighed before catching up with Jacob. Upon exiting the alleyway, they got into one of the carriages and left the area.


	3. Chapter 3

In two days, the killing had become the talk of the town. A police captain and the son of a nobleman, James Hathings, had been killed by an unknown culprit. In addition to that, two policemen were found unconscious with a bullet each in their back.

As Jacob walked around London, eavesdropping on conversations, he listened in on the public's opinion of the killing.

"It's high time James Hathings was killed. They say he was corrupt, part of a secret organisation," a Londoner said to an Irishman.

The Irishman told the Londoner, "There are rumours spreading, about who the killer of James Hathings is. Many say it was a Rook."

"But why? The Rooks are the most powerful gang in London!"

"A friend of a friend told me, that a few days ago a group of Rooks were attacked by cops. Maybe it was a revenge killing," the Irishman suggested.

"All these belong to the underworld. We shouldn't interfere, you know?" the Londoner whispered. "It could get us killed."

After about an hour of eavesdropping, Jacob returned to the Seven Bells. The Rook lieutenant, Logan Blimes, had news for Jacob.

"Our ears inform us that Jason Hathings, father of Captain James Hathings, is also a Templar. And scouts have also reported that Jason has a Templar ring on his finger."

"Then where is Jason Hathings?" Jacob asked.

"As far as I know, he's still in the station where his son works. He's trying to figure out how his son got killed."

Jacob nodded, taking a moment to take in all the facts. "Alright, you're dismissed."

Once Logan had left the tavern, Jacob went to find Evie and told her what Logan had told him.

"We should strike now," Evie said. "Any later and Jason might surround himself with guards. We don't want any unnecessary work, do we?"

The two of them waited opposite the police station patiently. Eventually, about four hours later, an angry Jason Hathings walked out of the police station, accompanied by a burly policeman.

"He's probably under police guard," Evie told Jacob. "We've to be careful. There might be more guards, just not in plain sight."

Jacob scanned the area and saw a suspicious looking man nearby, leaning against the wall and pretending to read the newspaper. Jacob saw a bulge in his pocket.

"See that guy?" Jacob pointed out the man to Evie. "I guess he's one of the guards. He has a firearm in his pocket."

Evie examined the guy and nodded at Jacob. "We really have to be careful, then."

Jason and the policeman got into the carriage, and it moved off. Jacob and Evie hired a carriage, and requested the carriage driver to follow Jason's carriage.

"That's the nobleman Jason Hathings' carriage we're going to follow. Are you sure about this?" the carriage driver asked as the carriage sped off, trying to close up the distance between the two carriages.

"I'm damn sure about this," replied Jacob. "Just focus on driving."

Evie noticed that there was another carriage following behind. She unholstered her pistol and shot at one of the wheels of the following carriage. The carriage slowed abruptly, but at the same time the gunshot brought attention to them.

"Hurry up!" Jacob shouted to the carriage driver. The carriage driver obeyed without protests or hesitation.

They were soon right beside Jason's carriage. Jacob saw the policeman beside Jason pull a pistol out. Jacob quickly shot the policeman in the temple.

Surging forward, Jacob grabbed Jason from the other carriage and dragged Jason towards him. Jason grabbed hold onto the side door, as he lay stomach down, in between the two carriages.

At that moment, Jacob's Hidden Blade sprung out, and he thrust it into Jason's back. For good measure, he thrust it a second time, this time right through Jason's heart. Jason's body went limp, and his upper body was dragged along the cobblestone floor, while his lower body remained in his carriage.

Evie left ten shillings on the seat of the carriage and informed the carriage driver about it before both of them hopped out of the moving carriage. They saw armed men running towards them.

Jacob and Evie quickly made their way onto a rooftop. They split up, agreeing to meet back at the Seven Bells once the heat had been lost. Jacob ran across the rooftop, leaping across the alleyway and performing a nice roll to cushion him.

Looking at his side, Jacob saw a pursuing policeman at ground level, armed with a rifle. Jacob pulled out a throwing knife and threw it at the policeman. The knife hit him in between his eyes, and the policeman immediately crumpled to the ground.

Jacob hopped around rooftops aimlessly, attempting to throw off his pursuers. Ten minutes later he succeeded. Getting himself back on ground level, Jacob hired a carriage back to the Seven Bells.

As Jacob entered the tavern, he saw police officers inside the building, talking to several drinkers inside. Jacob immediately took his outer jacket and hat off and carried them by hand.

He motioned for Clara to come to him. "Why are the police here? Has my sister returned?"

"Your sister returned shortly before the policemen came. They're trying to see if they can get leads on the deaths of Jason and James Hathings."

Jacob nodded and passed his jacket and hat to Clara. "Sorry to trouble you, but could you take these to my room?"

Clara replied with a nod and took Jacob's stuff away. Jacob ordered a pint of beer from himself and sipped from the glass as he watched the policemen question civilians.

Soon one of them walked up to Jacob. Seeing the policeman, Jacob smiled politely and tipped his glass at the officer. "You need any help?"

The policeman asked, "Have you heard of the killings of Captain James Hathings and the nobleman Jason Hathings?"

"Indeed, I am very sorry to hear of their passing. I hear Captain Hathings was a remarkable police captain."

"Do you have any idea who might have killed them?"

Jacob shook his head. "I hope you guys find the killer quickly. It's hard to sleep at night knowing there's a killer prowling the streets of London."

The policeman nodded before returning to his colleagues.

After finishing his beer, Jacob went up to find Evie. "Cops were downstairs, and I think they still are. We need to be careful from now on."


	4. Chapter 4

They rested for a few days, until there was news of Templars. Clara told Jacob and Evie that people were talking about the arrival of a British from Dover, Sir Wallace Callaghan. He was scheduled to arrive at London Victoria station.

The Rooks, coincidentally, had been gathering information on the same man. Sir Callaghan was a Templar who had been trying to increase Templar influence in Britain outside London.

"Lieutenant, I want Rooks on patrol at London Victoria at all times, until Sir Callaghan arrives," Evie ordered.

Jacob added, "And not just one or two men on patrol, I want five men around or in the station at all times."

Logan nodded and left the tavern, to tell his fellow Rooks of the Fryes' orders.

Two days later, a Rook rushed into the Seven Bells, and told them that Sir Callaghan was arriving in an hour's time. Jacob and Evie got dressed and armed themselves, before making their way to London Victoria station. Both Jacob and Evie were only armed with Hidden Blades.

Entering London Victoria station, the two of them saw British soldiers patrolling the station in twos. "There're soldiers all over the area, presumably to ensure Sir Callaghan's safety," Jacob remarked.

Walking up to a British patrol, Jacob asked, "Why are there so many soldiers here? Is anyone important arriving today?"

"That's none of your business. Now move aside!" the first soldier growled.

Jacob controlled the urge to fight the soldier as he bowed politely, at the same time moving out of the way. As the soldiers walked in front of him, Jacob gave them the finger.

Half an hour later, a train pulled into the station. Majority of the soldiers began running to the platform where the train was coming in. Jacob looked over to Evie, who was a distance away. She was already moving towards the platform.

They saw Sir Callaghan exiting the train. Sir Callaghan was in his fifties, with long sideburns and a goatee. He was dressed in a three-piece suit and had a sheathed sword at his waist.

Jacob walked up to the soldier whom he had talked to earlier and used both hands to grab his collar. Before the soldier could react, Jacob kneed him hard in the stomach and released his grip of his collar. Jacob punched him hard in the jaw, making it bleed.

Seconds before, Evie walked up to a second soldier, jabbing him in the abdomen. She grabbed one of the soldier's hands and twisted it as hard as she could, before using the twisted hand to throw the soldier onto the floor.

At that moment, they saw the five Rooks who were watching the station close it, helping the Fryes to fight the soldiers. Jacob scanned the area for Sir Callaghan and saw him running away.

Tapping Evie on the shoulder, Jacob said, "He's getting away. Let's give chase."

Sir Callaghan ran out of the station, where a carriage for him was already waiting. He pushed the carriage driver out of his seat and took control of the carriage, moving off immediately.

Jacob exited the station first, followed by Evie shortly after. He saw the carriage driver getting up on the ground, and saw a carriage speeding away, and knew what had happened.

In the next second, Jacob was already across the street, climbing up the building. Evie understood what Jacob was trying to do, and did the same. They followed the speeding carriage from the rooftops, jumping and using their rope launchers to move across buildings that were further apart from each other.

One minute later they were almost neck and neck. Jacob leaped off the building, aiming for the top of the Templar's carriage. He had timed the moment perfectly.

"Stay on the roofs!" Jacob shouted to Evie. Evie replied with a nod.

Sir Callaghan had noticed the unwelcome passenger on his carriage and drew a revolver, shooting it at Jacob's direction. His shots were all misses as Jacob was a moving target and that at the same time Sir Callaghan had to focus on steering the carriage.

While Sir Callaghan's hand was still extended, Jacob crouched and forced the revolver out of his hand. The Templar knew what Jacob was going to do, thus he bailed out of the carriage. Jacob did the same before the carriage got too far away from Sir Callaghan.

Aiming quickly yet carefully, Jacob fired all six shots from the revolver. Four of them hit Sir Callaghan, the fifth one buried itself in the wall and the sixth one damaged a wheel of a passing carriage. Jacob threw the revolver onto the ground and walked towards Sir Callaghan.

"You might destroy me, but the Templars will never be destroyed," Sir Callaghan uttered, rolling around to lie on his back.

Evie dropped from the building, landing behind the Templar and waited for Jacob.

"Such noble words from a dying man," Jacob remarked. "Perhaps you can redeem yourself by giving us the information we want."

"Redeem yourself? That is a very nice way of putting it. I would rather call it betraying my organisation. But very well, what you ask I shall give. The man I was planning to meet after Queen Victoria herself, is a Templar. He is Marcello de Vita, a wealthy merchant from Italy. But you will never find him, for he is almost never seen in person."

Jacob nodded. "I guess you have redeemed yourself, and at the same time given yourself a quick death."

Snick. Aurgh. Jacob retracted his Hidden Blade, taking a last look at Sir Wallace Callaghan, with blood flowing out of his throat, before walking away from him.

However, six soldiers appeared at the end of the street, and upon seeing Jacob and Evie, started running towards them. Jacob and Evie stood there, waiting for the British soldiers to close the distance.

Jacob lunged at the first soldier, who was just drawing his revolver, and got a grip on the soldier's hand. Holding it firmly, Jacob punched the male thrice in the jaw before kicking him hard in the thigh. Right before throwing the soldier to the ground, Jacob headbutted him the last time in his bleeding jaw, propelling the soldier further away.

Moving a short distance to the second soldier, whose back was facing her, Evie elbowed the soldier hard in the back. She took one of the soldier's arms, preventing him from falling, and yanked it as hard as she could, dislocating his shoulder. Evie then let go, and the second soldier collapsed. Evie stepped on the soldier's back with one foot, to make sure he stayed down.

Jacob wiped the sweat of his face and saw the third soldier attempting to sneak up on Evie. It was now not the time for flashy techniques. Jacob released his Hidden Blade and slashed the third soldier across his back. The soldier spun sideways as he fell. Evie looked backwards and uttered a word of thanks.

The remaining three soldiers formed a ring around Jacob and Evie. "We have to make this quick. There are probably more on the way," Jacob said.

"A fine one to say that," Evie said jokingly, releasing her Hidden Blade. "Careful not to kill them. After all they're not Templars."

"I'll try," Jacob said, kicking the approaching fourth soldier in the crotch as the soldier neared.

Jacob launched the Hidden Blade into the soldier's left shoulder, letting it cut through the flesh and part of the bone, before he forced it out. Jacob then put a hand on the soldier's back, pushing him onto the ground.

The battle was interrupted by the arrival of four Rooks, who had received news of the battle nearby and was here to provide reinforcements.

With the arrival of the four Rooks, the remaining two soldiers were quickly defeated. "The Templars sure never learn their lesson," Jacob commented as they left the scene.


	5. Chapter 5

The Rooks had gathered that the merchant, Marcello de Vita, was indeed a Templar. Marcello had also ordered a shipment of firearms, set to arrive in two days. He was known as the Invisible Seller, because he almost never met face-to-face with his clients.

"This Marcello is certainly a cautious person," said Jacob. "But his shipment, perhaps we could destroy the weapons? It would piss him off greatly."

Logan informed, "Anything you say, Boss. The ship carrying the weapons, the Francais Victoire, is set to dock at the West India Docks. Do you require Rooks for assistance?"

Evie answered for Jacob, "Yes, it would be helpful if we had some on standby."

Two days later, in the early hours, Jacob and Evie made their way to the West India Docks, accompanied by five Rooks led by lieutenant Logan Blimes.

They waited around the area until the Francais Victoire docked. It was a large brig, with many mercenaries on the ship serving as guards. Not long after some of the mercenaries were unloading crates off the ship.

Once the mercenaries had unloaded the entire shipment off the brig, which was about twenty crates, they struck. It was still pretty early in the morning, so fires were still lit. Jacob fired a berserk dart at the fire nearest to the mercenaries. Five mercenaries were affected by the gas, making them go mad. They drew their weapons and began fighting all the other mercenaries.

It was all chaos, as the mercenaries had no idea who was not affected by the berserk dart. Thus, they were randomly attacking other mercenaries.

Jacob told Evie and the Rooks, "There's going to be the police or army showing up very soon. I need you all to defend the area against them."

As Logan led the four Rooks away, Evie asked, "Can you do this alone?"

Jacob nodded and said, "I'll be fine. Just go and help the Rooks."

Once Evie started following the Rooks, Jacob attacked the mercenaries. He delivered an uppercut punch to the stomach of the first mercenary, his brass knuckle ripping through the mercenary's clothing and flesh like paper. Jacob grabbed the first mercenary's shirt and shifted his jaw with a powerful punch to it.

Moving over to the second mercenary, Jacob noticed that he was one of the affected. He managed to disarm the mercenary without difficulty. Jacob plunged the mercenary's dagger into his chest before pulling it out and hurling it at a third mercenary. The dagger entered the third mercenary through the side of his abdomen.

Loading his dart gun quickly, Jacob fired a poison dart at a fourth mercenary, who was standing at the other side of the conflict. Soon after the mercenary used his free hand to clutch his chest, trying not to collapse as the poison kicked in. A moment later the mercenary started to swipe and flail his sword randomly, injuring nearby mercenaries. By the time the poison had killed him, the mercenary had killed a mercenary and injured two others.

The berserk dart's effect was starting to wear off. The four mercenaries who had been affected dropped dead. Now there were only four uninjured mercenaries remaining, and they had identified Jacob as their main enemy.

As they closed in on Jacob, he surged forward, punching the closest mercenary in his Adam's apple. The mercenary clutched his hands round his throat, and Jacob pushed him aside. No doubt it was painful, especially when Jacob was using brass knuckles.

Grabbing the second mercenary with his free hand, Jacob punched him repeatedly in the stomach until he started bleeding. Then Jacob let go of him and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the jaw.

Jacob ducked just in time to dodge a vicious swipe from the third mercenary. Jacob took the mercenary's leg and pulled it hard, causing him to fall. Taking his sword, Jacob spun it in a figure-of-eight before stabbing the last mercenary in his solar plexus.

While the mercenaries lay unconscious or dead on the ground, Jacob started pushing the crates into the sea. It took him about two minutes, and once he was done, he left the docks.

Outside the docks, Evie and the five Rooks were fighting off policemen that had shown up. Jacob whistled to them to notify them of his presence.

"We need to finish them off before we escape," Evie said as she thrust her Hidden Blade into a policeman's abdomen.

Jacob launched his rope launcher right into the throat of a second policeman, standing around ten metres away. The policeman died on the spot. Jacob fired a poison dart at a third policeman, and watched him for seconds until he died.

As the third policeman collapsed, another carriage of policemen arrived. Jacob told his comrades, "We can't keep fighting them! We have to take an alternate route!"

"Go first, I'll cover!" Evie yelled out. Jacob gestured for the Rooks to hurry as they ran back into the docks, with Logan at the back of the group.

"Are you sure you'll all be alright?" Logan asked.

Jacob put a hand on his back. "We'll be fine, hopefully. We won't be following you guys, so make sure you all stay safe, alright?"

Logan answered with a nod, before running off. After ensuring that the Rooks had run off, Jacob and Evie used their rope launchers to get up on a nearby building. The policemen tried shooting at them now, but they were simply too far away.

Jacob and Evie then made their escape, traversing across rooftops. Minutes later they had successfully fled from the police. They got off the rooftops and returned to the Seven Bells.

Half an hour later the Rooks, led by Logan, entered the Seven Bells. They were all fine, except for a few bruises here and there.

"What took you guys so long?" Jacob queried, eyeing the letter in Logan's hand.

Logan passed the letter to Jacob. "We found this in our mailbox. I've not read it yet, though."

Opening the letter, Jacob read it aloud. "Jacob Frye, leader of the Rooks. You do not know who I am, but that does not matter. I request to meet you in person privately tomorrow, at 22 Hatton Garden, a factory. Both you and I will be alone. I hope you will not fail me by bringing men to the factory."

"That sounds very suspicious, Boss," Logan said.

Jacob nodded. "Indeed. And the person asks me to meet him at a damn factory in Hatton Garden. But I shall go."

"I will follow you, Jacob," Evie said. "If not openly then discreetly."


	6. Chapter 6

The next afternoon, Jacob went to the factory at 22 Hatton Garden, alone and unarmed. It was not a problem for him to be unarmed, as Jacob was skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Also he knew that Evie was watching the factory nearby.

Evie, who was watching the factory from an alleyway opposite, was accompanied by five Rooks, who were guarding the alleyway. Soon she saw a masked man clad in black robes arrive, accompanied by ten mercenaries. The masked man was assigning mercenaries to several strategic spots around the factory. After assigning them, the masked man walked into the factory, alone.

"So much for trust," muttered Evie. She turned and waked to her men.

"Jacob is in danger, as expected. There are ten mercenaries guarding the factory, probably ready to swing in and kill him at a moment's notice," Evie informed the Rooks. "Before that happens we have to dispose of them."

To start them off, Evie fired two of her poison darts at the two mercenaries standing by the main entrance. The two of them dropped dead almost at the same time. The five Rooks then rushed out of the alleyway, moving quickly yet quietly towards the factory.

They took care of the remaining mercenaries without alerting the masked man in the factory. After that, the Rooks and Evie waited for the right time to strike.

Jacob saw the masked man enter the factory, with a sword at his waist and alone. Jacob had some throwing knives attached to his robes, which could be seen easily.

"So you are the one who sent me the letter?" Jacob asked.

The masked man nodded. "It is nice to see that you have kept your word. Since you have kept your word, I have kept mine too."

"Why do you want to meet me?"

"I've heard of some men in the police trying to disrupt the activities of your gang, the Rooks. I have a plan that will benefit both of us. I am the leader of a group of men, who I believe that can protect your men. In return I request thirty percent of your profit for every month that my men protect yours."

"We don't need any protection," Jacob said.

The masked man said, "Oh, is that so?"

Jacob nodded. The masked man shook his head and said, "Wrong decision."

He expected his mercenaries to swing in and surround Jacob, but instead Evie and the Rooks burst into the factory.

"Where are my men? They were supposed to be outside!"

Evie smiled. "Looks like your plan failed after all."

The masked man produced a revolver, which had been concealed in his robes, and aimed it at his opponents. "Retreat, or your Assassins will be mourning your deaths."

Faster than he could react, Evie pulled out her revolver and shot the masked man once in the stomach. The masked man fell onto the ground, dropping his revolver. The five Rooks immediately rushed up to the masked man, restraining him.

Jacob walked up to the masked man and tore his mask out. Through the mask was none other than Logan Blimes, a lieutenant of the Rooks.

"Lieuteant, why the hell are you here?" Jacob ordered to know.

Logan sneered and spat on the ground. "You think I'm contented spending my life as a mere lieutenant in a shitty gang? I had big dreams, and I wanted to accomplish them. Luckily, the Templars were willing to help."

With extraordinary willpower, Logan got a hand free and drew a dagger, thrusting it into the stomach of the Rook that had been restraining his hand.

Slowly getting to his feet, Logan pulled the dagger out of the injured Rook, and used his free hand to clutch his stomach, as he tried to fend off Jacob, Evie and the Rooks.

Evie still had her revolver trained at Logan. "Give up, now. There is no way you can escape."

"Are you sure about that, Miss Frye?"

Meanwhile Jacob had snuck up behind Logan. He tried to grab Logan's dagger, but Logan had felt someone behind him. Logan turned around and pulled the dagger away from Jacob's reach.

Logan kicked Jacob in the stomach, and tried to stab him, but Jacob had gotten out of the way.

"We trained you too well, lieutenant," Jacob commented.

At that moment, the factory doors opened again. In came eight policemen, led by a well-dressed man, with a handlebar-style moustache.

The policemen were all armed with rifles, and were aiming them at everyone in the room. The man introduced himself, "I am not here to shoot all of you guys dead. Well, maybe except your enemy over here, leaders of the Rooks. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Commissioner Edmund Henderson of the Metropolitan Police."

Four of his policemen rushed over to Logan and handcuffed him, before Commissioner Henderson continued, "I am aware of your struggles against my police. But the policemen you are battling against, are of another so-called faction, in the Metropolitan Police."

"And they are terribly corrupt," Jacob added.

Commissioner Henderson nodded in agreement. "That is why I am here. I offer you aid in taking down the corrupt policemen who are what you two call Templars."

Evie raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Commissioner knew of the Templars. "So you do know of the Assassins and the Templars?"  
Commissioner Henderson nodded in reply. "Now is not the time and place to chat. Perhaps another time, in a few days."

Signalling to his men, Commissioner Henderson walked out, followed by the policemen and Logan Blimes.

"Well, this was unexpected," said Jacob as he walked out of the factory, followed by Evie and the five Rooks.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a few days later before they saw Commissioner Edmund Henderson again. Jacob, Evie and Commissioner Henderson met in a small café. Commissioner Henderson was dressed in civilian clothing, so as not to attract attention to himself.

"I've gathered that there is going to be a Templar gathering on Saturday, at an apartment in Westminster. I have a feeling some of my corrupt men will be present. I want you two to go there and kill as many scumbags as possible. You'll be helping yourselves and the world."

Commissioner Henderson finished his coffee before walking out of the café. Jacob and Evie sat around for a while longer before leaving as well.

On Saturday, Jacob and Evie, leading a group of ten Rooks, went over to the location. The two of them posted four guards outside the apartment, two on the main entrance and another two at the back entrance. Jacob and Evie then entered the building, with the remaining six Rooks.

The meeting was located at the second floor of the building, in Apartment 7. Jacob eavesdropped to ensure that Commissioner Henderson had gotten the correct location.

"Are all of us here?" one voice asked.

A second voice replied, "Sir Wallace Callaghan and Logan Blimes will not be coming. The former has been killed and the latter arrested. The work of the Assassins."

"The Assassins are seriously becoming a pain in the side," a third voice said. "We need to take action before they deal serious damage."

"Especially the Fryes, those rotten leaders of the Rooks. They destroyed an entire shipment of weapons that Master de Vita had ordered," a fifth voice added.

Finally, the sixth voice, who sounded authoritative and senior, told everyone in the room, "Not so loud! We don't want to attract attention, or even eavesdroppers."

At that moment, Jacob gestured for everyone to draw their weapons. He checked as quietly as possible if the door was unlocked. It was locked.

Seeing that the door was locked, Evie whispered for the most muscular Rook to break the door down. Stepping backwards all the way to the wall opposite, the Rook charged at the door, bringing it down. The Rook scrambled out of the way as Jacob and Evie rushed into the apartment, with the Rooks outside ensuring that no one escaped.

Charging at the first Templar, Jacob's fist, reinforced with brass knuckles, rammed him hard in the gut before he could even draw his weapon. The Templar, dressed in upper-middle class clothing, doubled up in pain and Jacob finished him with a second blow to his cheek.

Evie released her Hidden Blade, strolling up to the second Templar. She grabbed him by the neck to hold him in place as she drove the Hidden Blade into his intestines. Pulling the Hidden Blade out, Evie threw the Templar down onto the floor.

There was a Templar dressed in police uniform in the apartment, and he drew his revolver. Jacob saw the revolver being unholstered and had no choice but to kill him. Raising his hand up in the policeman's direction, Jacob fired a lethal poison dart at him. Before the policeman could fire his revolver he was struggling to remain on his feet. A few moments later the policeman was dead.

A fourth Templar, in all the confusion, had managed to get out of the apartment. But he did not know there were Rooks standing outside. The nearest Rook took the Templar's arm as he ran and pulled hard. As the Templar was pulled to the Rook, he punched the Templar in the head, knocking him out.

Two Templars remained, one of whom was dressed in police uniform. Jacob walked up to the policeman while Evie walked up to the other Templar. Evie, deciding to kill the Templar, slashed him across his throat, killing him quickly.

"When Master de Vita receives news of this, you guys are so screwed," said the Templar.

Jacob punched the Templar's stomach with his brass knuckles. The Templar was controlling his urge to vomit, and Jacob moved him away just in case. After ensuring that the Templar would not vomit, Jacob pulled him back.

"Your name and rank," Jacob ordered.

The Templar said, "Police Sergeant Nick Hatkins."

Jacob pushed the Templar until his back was against the wall, before kicking one of Nick's thighs. "Are you sure that's your name?"

"Ye…Yes," Nick was beginning to stutter.

"Well, Nick. You have the privilege of coming along with us!" Jacob then knocked Nick out.

Dragging Nick's body out of the apartment, Jacob tossed his body over to one of the Rooks.

Evie ordered the Rooks, "Bring all the unconscious ones back. Only two are dead. One with a dart in him and the other with his throat slashed."

The Rooks went into the building and dragged the unconscious bodies out. Jacob gave them orders to bring the bodies to a nearby apartment which he had bought and tie them up.

Once the Rooks left, Jacob and Evie returned into the apartment building and shut the door. They started searching the apartment, to see if there were any clues about Templar activities.

But before they could start, they heard a knock on the door. Instinctively, Jacob dragged the two bodies into a cupboard in the bedroom and stuffed them in there. Shutting the cupboard, Jacob kept his weapons and pulled up his hood.

Evie had opened the door to find three policemen at the door, all armed with rifles. "How may I help you, officers?" Evie asked.

The first policeman informed, "There were reports of a fight between a group of five or so taking place in this apartment."

"There's only my brother and I living in this apartment. No way a fight on that scale could have taken place here."

The three policemen entered the apartment, checking the area. "There're bloodstains around the place," the second policeman noted. "Why?"

Jacob lied, "When we bought this apartment it was already there. And about five hours ago a friend accidentally injured himself. We had to bring him to hospital, as he was spilling blood over the damn floor."

"So no fight took place around here?" the third officer wanted to confirm, as he peeked into the bedroom.

"None of that, officers," Evie answered.

The three policemen then left the apartment. "Sorry to have disturbed you all," the first policeman said before shutting the door.

Once the policemen had left the building, Evie locked the door before they began their investigation. Soon Jacob found something of interest. It was a letter addressed to one of the unconscious Templars, sent by Marcello de Vita. The letter was rather short, and it went:

The Assassins, especially the Frye siblings, are weakening us by the day. We have to counterattack immediately. Meet me seven days from now at the London Zoo, near the quagga enclosure, in the late morning. Burn this letter before our meeting and make sure you are not followed.

Jacob crumpled the piece of paper before tearing it into shreds. He did the math and discovered that the meeting day was in two days time. At least now Jacob knew what he was going to do on that day.


	8. Chapter 8

Two days later, Jacob arrived at the London Zoo. He had never been there before, so he took the remaining time touring the place, before heading to the quagga enclosure. Evie did not come with him, as she had to interrogate the captured Templars.

Blending in with the civilians, Jacob watched visitors walked past. Soon Jacob witnessed the arrival of an Italian, clad in black robes and guarded by two men. Scanning the Italian, Jacob saw a Templar ring on him.

Drawing his revolver, Jacob shot the two guards dead. The Italian man saw Jacob and immediately fled.

"Marcello de Vita!" Jacob called out, as he ran after the man. "Stop running, you coward!"

The Italian chuckled. "You think Master de Vita will be so foolish as to show himself? You Assassins should know that he is also known as the Invisible Seller."

"Then tell me where he is!" Jacob ordered.

Slowing down for a moment, the Italian turned back, firing a revolver of his own at Jacob. The bullet nearly hit him. As the Italian ran out of the Zoo, he hopped into a carriage. The carriage quickly sped off.

Jacob aimed his revolver at the wheels of the moving carriage and shot two of them. The carriage braked abruptly. Jacob quickly ran up to the carriage.

When he reached, the Italian Templar was already escaping, while the carriage driver intended to aid the Templar by distracting Jacob. Jacob had no time for the carriage driver. Loading a sleeping dart onto his dart gun, which was part of his Assassin Gauntlet, Jacob fired it at the carriage driver. The carriage driver fell to the ground, unconscious. He would wake up a minute or so later, to realise that Jacob was gone.

For a man of his age, the Italian Templar ran pretty slow. Jacob caught up with him without much difficulty. Seeing that Jacob was closing in, the Italian Templar drew his revolver again and emptied the revolver on Jacob. Unfortunately, one of the bullets hit Jacob in the shoulder.

Covering the wound with his hand, Jacob continued running, albeit slower. It took slightly longer this time to catch up with the Italian Templar. This time he had no more tricks up his sleeve to slow down Jacob.

"Where is Marcello de Vita?" Jacob demanded, as he loaded his dart gun with a sleeping dart.

"Like hell I'd tell you!" the Italian Templar answered.

Sighing, Jacob fired the dart at the Templar. It was a moment or two before the sleeping dart kicked in. As the Templar lay on the ground, Jacob walked up to him and knocked him unconscious, so he would not wake up a minute or two later.

Carrying the Templar with him, Jacob flagged down a carriage. Stuffing the Templar into the carriage, Jacob got in beside the unconscious Italian. "He's my friend, he's drunk like hell," Jacob explained with a grin.

"Drunk, when the day is still damn bright?" the carriage driver asked as the carriage moved off.

Jacob shrugged. "My friend's pretty strange, just saying. Just follow my directions."

Fifteen minutes later they arrived outside a Rooks-owned safehouse. Once the carriage had left, Jacob dragged the Italian Templar into the building.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, the Italian Templar regained consciousness. He found himself tied up in a bare room. Jacob and Evie were nearby.

"Where am I?" the Templar questioned.

Jacob ignored the question. "What is your name?"

The Templar repeated his question. Without warning, Jacob delivered a hard punch to the Italian's jaw.

"I'll only ask you once more. What is your name?"

"Marco de Vita. I am the cousin of Marcello," the Italian Templar revealed.

Evie drew her revolver and pointed it at the Templar. "Are you sure?"

Marco nodded.

"Where is Marcello de Vita?" Evie continued.

"I will not reveal the location," Marco said, determined. "So you can just kill me and get this done already."

Jacob smiled coldly. "I'm not going to let a scum like you die so easily."

Pulling out his own revolver, Jacob explained, "I will play this game with you. Out of all the chambers of this six-shot revolver, only one of them has a bullet inside. I'll spin the cylinder randomly and fire at you. It is luck whether you get shot dead or survive."

"You're crazy," Marco shook his head in disgust, before calming himself down. "But I know you won't do that. You need me alive."

Spinning the cylinder, Jacob checked for a split second that a bullet would not be fired before pulling the trigger. A loud bang was heard and Marco closed his eyes in sheer horror, but a bullet did not enter him.

"He can always go on," Evie pointed out. "You had better start talking."

Marco refused to speak, so Jacob spun the cylinder again and fired at Marco. Still no bullet came flying out of the revolver.

"It won't be long before a bullet comes flying out of that hole," Jacob said.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out. Evie ran over to the window and pushed the curtains to one side. At the entrance to the building were five masked men, armed with Burnside Carbines with bayonets attached to them. They were in the process of rushing into the building.

Evie, still with her revolver in her hand, rushed out of the room. As she exited, she told Jacob, "Attackers, five of them!"

"You should stay put, or it'll be worse when I return," Jacob warned as he followed Evie out of the room.

As silently as she could, Evie made her way downstairs, where the intruders were. Evie shot the first intruder before dashing for cover, which was a sturdy chair. The first intruder, hit right in the forehead, collapsed and died.

Jacob was on his way down when he heard more gunshots. Turning around, Jacob decided to leave the building through the window. Climbing out and down the building, Jacob re-entered the building. He fired a berserk dart from his dart gun. The affected second intruder lost his mind, firing his carbine at his comrades.

While the second intruder was under the influence of the berserk dart, Jacob and Evie remained under cover, for fear that they would be hit by the affected's bullets. After half a minute the berserk dart's effect wore off and the second intruder died on the spot. The second intruder had killed two other intruders, leaving only one man left.

The intruder, knowing that there was no way to win, dropped his carbine and knelt on the ground, raising both his hands. Evie appeared, with her revolver aimed at the guy.

"Please, don't shoot me!" begged the intruder.

Jacob appeared, firing two rounds into the intruder's body. "I decline your request, intruder. Maybe in your next life, you'll think twice before intruding into a building."

The intruder coughed out blood, staining his mask crimson red. The intruder wanted to utter something, probably a swear word, but he was already dead.


	9. Chapter 9

When Jacob and Evie returned to the room, they saw that Marco de Vita had managed to free himself of his restraints. Upon seeing the two of them, Marco's eyes widened.

"Oh shit," Marco uttered. He decided to fight them instead of giving up.

Marco ran towards them, shooting his fist towards Evie when he was close enough. Evie took his fist, forcing it open and twisting his fingers. Marco howled in agony as Evie threw him to the floor.

Jacob smiled as he shook his head at Marco. "That was a sad attempt you made there," he commented. "Now, let's continue, shall we?"

"I remember I told you to stay put before leaving the room," Jacob said. "You obviously didn't follow my instructions."

Before Marco could struggle, Jacob grabbed him and threw him across the room. Marco's body slammed hard against the wall. As Jacob walked towards him, Marco raised his hands in defence.

"Stop, stop please! I'll tell you what you want!" Marco finally conceded. "Marcello owns a jewellery store in West End, it's…it's called De Vita Jewellery!"

Evie asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm very sure of it!" Marco said.

"Wonderful," said Jacob as he drew his revolver. "Now we can kill you."

Seconds later the two of them left the room, leaving behind the now-dead Marco de Vita.

The next morning, Jacob and Evie made their way to De Vita Jewellery in West End. Clara from the Seven Bells had told them that De Vita Jewellery was one of the most popular jewellery shops in the area, so they were prepared for civilians to be in the shop.

Entering the jewellery shop, Jacob and Evie looked around the area. There were three civilians in the shop, a young well-dressed woman with a handbag, a man in his fifties with a walking stick and a middle-aged man wearing a trench coat.

Jacob walked up to the cashier while Evie walked around the shop. Jacob asked, "May I know where the owner is?"

The cashier answered, "The owner will not meet with strangers."

"I know who the owner is," Jacob said, pretending to be annoyed. "Mister Marcello de Vita, an Italian merchant that is very secretive."

"He will be here soon," the cashier said.

At that moment, the cashier pulled a revolver out, aiming it at Jacob. The woman produced a revolver from her handbag, training it on Evie. A blade ejected from the man's walking stick, while the middle-aged man pulled a dagger out from his trench coat.

"The Assassins have finally caught up," said the cashier. "You two must be Jacob and Evie Frye. Master de Vita has been expecting you for a while now. He's upstairs, waiting for you. The three of them here are one of the best Templar assassins in the country, and they'll be following you, so I suggest not to do anything foolish."

Marcello was wearing a black robe, with the Templar insignia on the front of the robe. His hood was down, and he was not the least surprised to see Jacob and Evie. Marcello was a man in his thirties, with a stocky build. As the two of them were forced to sit, Marcello took a cigar out and lit it.

"So you are the troublemakers," Marcello scanned the two Assassins. "I have to say, you two are quite remarkable."

Jacob sneered. "Your cousin is dead."

His facial expression did not change. "I knew it would happen sooner or later anyway. I had already mentally prepared myself for that. It is saddening to lose such an important member of the British Rite of the Templar Order, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made."

"Just like you, so the Assassins can advance," Jacob spat.

The middle-aged man with the dagger retaliated, punching Jacob hard in the jaw. Jacob took the man's fist, twisting his fingers.

"You bastard!" the man said.

Marcello flashed a look of annoyance. "Calm down, damn it. Let's try to settle this in a civilised manner. Like grown men…and women."

"The only way we'll settle this is with your death," Evie said.

Marcello shrugged. "Then we'll have to settle this the hard way."

At that moment, the woman fired a shot from her revolver. The bullet hit the wall. At that moment they heard loud footsteps below.

Seconds later five policemen rushed into the room, led by a Police Captain armed with a rifle.

"What took you so long! These two over here were trying to kill me! Your pays would be gone if not for me!" Marcello said with a faked look of horror.

The woman sobbed. "Those monsters, forced us all here and tried to kill us!"

"Arrest the two of them!" ordered the Police Captain.

Jacob and Evie released their Hidden Blades, but before they could even move, they were shot by the policemen. They were helpless as they were arrested and handcuffed.

As the policemen brought the two of them out of the room, Marcello smirked and shook his head at them.

"You'll pay for this one day, you bastard," Jacob uttered menacingly.


	10. Chapter 10

While waiting for their sentences to be delivered, Jacob and Evie were visited by Commissioner Edmund Henderson in jail.

"You two must have offended some great people to land yourselves in this fucked up state," Commissioner Henderson said softly. "I can't try to make a request to drop this case. I'll be murdered by those damn Templars."

"Then why are you here?" Jacob said loudly. "You want us to give you information in exchange for a shorter sentence? What an asshole!"

Commissioner Henderson quickly caught on with Jacob's act. "I have told your ally at the Seven Bells tavern, Clara's her name I believe, to tell your Rooks to get some men to infiltrate this jail."

Evie continued for him, "So the Rooks will help us escape before our sentence, I guess."

Commissioner Henderson nodded in reply, before saying loudly, "So you won't tell me the whereabouts of your men, I guess! Well then, off to prison you will, then. I'll try to make your sentence even longer!"

The next morning, which was also the day they were set to be sentenced, Jacob and Evie were woken up by two guards. The first guard was a familiar face, while the second one was not.

"He's a new guy, but that doesn't mean you can treat him like shit," warned the first guard. "He was a tough gangster before coming here!"

Jacob and Evie looked at each other and smiled for a moment. The second guard knocked the cell door with his baton. "It's time to get out of your damn cell!"

The door was already unlocked as Evie opened it. Once the two of them got out of their cell, the second guard drew a knife and plunged it into the throat of the first guard.

"Boss, we're glad you're safe," the Rook said. "It's time to leave this shitty place. There're more men here who will aid in your escape."

Walking down the corridor, the three of them took a right, only to meet with three guards, all armed with rifles.

"What do you think you're doing?" the first guard demanded to know.

Before they could react, the second guard shot the first one dead. The two remaining guards then saluted Jacob and Evie, indicating that they were also Rooks.

Jacob found a tear rolling down his cheeks. Wiping it away, he joked, "By god, you guys are a sight for sore eyes. Now let's get out of here before we get surrounded. That would make your plan go to waste, wouldn't it?"

The shot that the Rook had fired had alerted all the guards in the jail. By the time they made their way to the outer gates, which was surrounded by a cobblestone wall, it had been surrounded by four policemen, led by a fifth Police Sergeant.

"Halt!" the Police Sergeant ordered, as he and the four policemen raised their rifles at Jacob, Evie and the three Rooks.

Two of the policemen guards attacked the other three, shooting their two comrades dead. The Police Sergeant turned around, shocked to see the policemen's death. "What kind of treachery is this?"

Immediately knowing that those two policemen were Rooks, Jacob told them, "That's enough killing for today. Sergeant, I politely request that you open the gates for us."

"What if I don't want to?" the Sergeant growled.

Evie answered, "Well, my brother and I have five men armed with rifles, who could kill you in less than a second. I persuade you to accept my brother's request."

The Sergeant sighed, and agreed to the 'request'. After he opened the gates, one of the Rooks knocked him unconscious. A short distance away from the jail was a carriage, driven by a sixth Rook.

As the carriage slowed down in front of the gates, Jacob and Evie hopped inside. The five Rooks waved goodbye as the carriage sped away.

Turning around, they saw more guards running out of the compound. The Rooks immediately drew their rifles, training them on the carriage. One of them yelled, "Shit, shit! The carriage's too far!"

The group of policemen neared. A second Rook informed, "When we got here the two prisoners had already gotten onto the carriage. The driver's damn good, I have to say. We five couldn't land a single shot on it."

A few streets away, their carriage was stopped by a blockade of British soldiers and carriages. The soldiers were all armed with rifles with bayonets attached to them, and there were five of them in the blockade.

Wearing back on their Assassin Gauntlets, which had been returned to them by the Rooks, Jacob and Evie exited the carriage to clear the blockade.

The soldiers had their rifles raised, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Jacob acted as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Why are there so many soldiers here? I demand you all to let us go through!" Jacob demanded pompously.

A British Army Sergeant, who was leading the squad of soldiers, explained, "My apologies, sir. But we have reports that two people have escaped from a nearby jail. The British Army has been activated to stop them."

Jacob feigned a look of surprise. "Golly! Escaped prisoners? You have to do your best to capture them!"

The Sergeant nodded. "We are trying our best, sir. And sorry, sir, we'll let you through right away."

In less than half a minute, the carriages and soldiers had parted to let the carriage pass through. Jacob waved to them as the carriage passed.

"That was pretty easy," Evie commented. "Good work there, Jacob."

"Thanks, Evie. I just had to do it confidently," Jacob said. "Now we need to find some lodgings, and not at the Seven Bells. It would be too dangerous there."

The sixth Rook, who was also the carriage driver, had overheard their conversation. "Boss, we own another tavern, but this one much quieter. I can drive you two there right now, if you wish."

Jacob nodded in approval at the carriage driver. "Make haste, Rook."

Indeed the tavern was much quieter and less popular, which suited Jacob and Evie well. And also there were Rook-controlled buildings near the tavern, which meant that Jacob and Evie would be better-protected.


	11. Chapter 11

Within three days, Jacob and Evie had become the most wanted criminals in Inner London, and the area had come under heavy patrol by policemen and soldiers. They knew all these were the work of Marcello de Vita, an Italian Master Templar.

In the three days, Rook spies had been dispatched to find out the identities of the three Templar assassins who had ambushed Jacob and Evie. So far only the identity of the fifty-something year old man who had been equipped with the walking stick weapon had been discovered.

The man was Sir Charles Lemington, a retired Major in the British Army who had also been knighted. As of late Sir Lemington had become addicted to gambling and spent nearly half of his free time at Brooks's, a popular gentlemen's club.

That night, Jacob left the tavern and made his way to the gentlemen's club, which was located at St James' Street. On the way Jacob encountered many policemen and soldier, but all of them did not recognise him due to it being dark.

He waited patiently outside the gentlemen's club, until Sir Lemington left it. He did eventually, but by then it was midnight. Sir Lemington was staggering around, and Jacob immediately knew he was drunk. But Sir Lemington only had a little bit of difficulty walking, which meant that he was just slightly drunk.

Jacob followed Sir Lemington, being careful not to be spotted by him and any patrols, waiting for the correct time to strike. Soon Sir Lemington entered a deserted alleyway, with no patrols in the vicinity. That was when Jacob struck.

From afar, Jacob fired a sleeping dart at Sir Lemington. As Sir Lemington collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, Jacob walked slowly up to him. By the time he arrived Sir Lemington was starting to regain consciousness, as the sleeping dart only lasted for a short period.

He was stunned to see Jacob in front of him, but recovered quickly. "Well, well, if it isn't the escaped wanted prisoner, Jacob Frye."

Jacob released his Hidden Blade, letting Sir Lemington get a clear view of the ejected blade. "Who were the other two Templar assassins?"

"What if I don't want to tell you their names?" Sir Lemington smiled coldly. "If you dare take a step closer I will shout, and I am very certain either policemen or soldiers will be rushing here to arrest you."

Jacob bent down and took one step forward, then scooping Sir Lemington's body with one hand. As Sir Lemington shouted, Jacob used his free hand to stop him from speaking, and pulled him along until they reached the side of the alleyway, which was sheltered above by scaffolding.

When the two soldiers arrived at the alleyway, they saw nothing, due to Jacob's and Sir Lemington's position being hidden by darkness. After a few seconds of scanning the alleyway, the soldiers looked at each other, shrugged, and left the area.

Moving the Hidden Blade up to Sir Lemington's throat, Jacob asked, "Who were the other two?"

Sir Lemington might have been more than twenty years Jacob's senior, but he still was a relatively good fighter. Elbowing Jacob hard in his stomach, Sir Lemington grabbed Jacob's other hand and threw it aside. He was now free from Jacob's grip.

He reacted quickly, using a hand to spin Sir Lemington around and slashing him in the stomach with the Hidden Blade. Jacob then brought him down to his knees with a hard slap on his back.

Sir Charles Lemington coughed out blood before saying, "Miranda Proudmoore and Arthur Menethil."

Jacob gripped on Sir Lemington's elbow, using it to push him on the ground, lying on his side. Sir Lemington grunted in pain. "It's true!"

"You had better be," Jacob said as he walked away, leaving Sir Lemington there. He would let luck decide Sir Lemington's fate this time.

A few days later, Jacob's spies had found out more about the two names Sir Lemington had given him. It turned out that luck had decided Sir Lemington had to die.

Miranda Proudmoore was better known in the English underworld as the Proud Burglar, who was a master at housebreaking. She was in her mid-twenties, and had been living a life of crime for a long while.

Arthur Menethil was originally a high-ranking officer in the City of London Police, but quit a few years ago to become a mercenary, as he had felt being a mercenary would earn him more money. Arthur suffered from both anisocoria and heterochromia, and Evie was incredibly surprised to hear that.

"Legend speaks of men known as Sages, human reincarnations of a member of the First Civilisation member named Aita. They are all born with memories of Aita, and look very similar to him. Their most distinctive feature is that they have a combination of Anisocoria and Heterochromia. There are more than one sage alive on this planet at any given time."

"So that is justification that we can kill Arthur, then?" Jacob said with a grin.

Evie smiled. "With or without justification, both of them will be killed. The reason is simple, for the good of humanity."

"But mostly us," Jacob said with a chuckle.


	12. Chapter 12

Rook spies were reporting that both Miranda Proudmoore and Arthur Menethil were being followed by strange men. That was both good and bad news. Sir Charles Lemington had told him the truth, at least. The bad news was that now both of them would be harder to kill.

"Damn Templars know we're going after them," Jacob said.

"That's good. We need them to fear us," Evie pointed out. "So who are you going for first?"

"Miranda Proudmoore, the Proud Burglar," Jacob answered. "Currently she's waiting to be sentenced. I'm sure the Templar faction in the police will do something to get her out of there. I'll have to strike first."

As there were more policemen on the streets now, it was easier to find one. Jacob saw two of them patrolling an alleyway. Creeping up on them, he released his Hidden Blade.

The two policemen heard the sound and turned around. Simultaneously Jacob drove his Hidden Blade into the first policeman's stomach. As he pulled his Hidden Blade out of the man, Jacob saw the second one fleeing the scene.

Jacob quickly caught up with the escaping policeman, pouncing on him when he was close enough. The policeman struggled for a few seconds while being pinned down, but soon he realised there was no escape.

"Don't worry, lad. I won't kill you, I swear," Jacob promised. "I just need something from you."

After knocking the policeman unconscious, Jacob stripped him of his clothing and donned them on. Now he looked like a policeman. Leaving the alleyway, Jacob made his way to the police station where the Proud Burglar was being held.

Minutes later, a policeman strode confidently into the station. None of the officers knew who he was, but they knew from his uniform that he was a senior officer.

"Sir," one of the policemen, most probably a more junior rank than the policeman, acknowledged. "May I know why you are here? You don't seem like you're from this area."

Jacob nodded. "I have been assigned to this station. I am at the rank of senior officer, if you don't know already."

One of the policemen, who was also a senior officer, walked up to him, wanting to shake his hand. Jacob took the officer's hand and twisted it, before launching him across the lobby with a hard kick and push.

Reacting quickly, three more policemen rushed towards Jacob. But they had made a mistake – they were unarmed, while Jacob had weapons which he could use any moment. As the first policeman neared, Jacob punched him hard in the jaw, and as he spun to one side Jacob pushed him onto the floor.

The second and third policemen came together. Sidestepping a punch from the second policeman, Jacob took the third policeman by his shirt and headbutted him in his head, before pushing him away. The second policeman tried to stop Jacob by restraining his arms from behind, but Jacob easily threw him over his shoulder.

Now there were only two more policemen left in the lobby. One of them was armed with a revolver, and was pulling it out. In two big steps, Jacob closed the gap between him and the policeman. Before the policeman could pull the trigger, Jacob forced it out of his hands and jabbed its end into the man's stomach.

With the revolver still jabbing the policeman's stomach, Jacob released his Hidden Blade, pointing it at the last policeman's stomach. At the same time, Jacob shot the second-last policeman with the revolver and stabbed the last policeman with the revolver and Hidden Blade respectively. Once they were down, Jacob threw the revolver onto the ground and kept his Hidden Blade, before walking into the holding area.

The Proud Burglar, aka Miranda Proudmoore asked the senior officer, "I heard a gunshot out there, what's going on?" she asked.

"There was an attack in the lobby. May the Father of Understanding guide me," Jacob said with a grin.

Miranda got what Jacob was trying to tell her, and grinned as well. "I knew it wouldn't be long before they came."

Jacob's face then changed to a serious look. "I heard the two Assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye, have escaped from jail. You'll have to watch your back."

Miranda was surprised. "Escaped?"

"And sooner or later they'll probably be coming after you and Arthur Menethil. Sir Charles Lemington has already been killed by them," Jacob informed.

"They killed Lemington already? Those bastards will pay for this," Miranda said as she clenched her fist. "Now get me out of here quickly, before anyone sees us."

Re-entering the lobby, Jacob encountered three hooded men wearing light steel armour. He spotted the Templar insignia on their armour.

One of them pulled his hood back and drew his sword. "Lady Proudmoore, you are in danger. Get away from that man immediately! He is none other than Jacob Frye."

Miranda turned to eye Jacob, her suspicion rising. Jacob answered as if he was not lying, "You! You are the one that has been outlawed Master de Vita! I remember, you aided the Fryes in their escape from jail. Are you here under the command of those dogs, to kill this woman now?"

She then turned to look at the man. "You incorrigible dog. You will pay for your treachery."

Picking up a revolver from an unconscious senior officer, Miranda aimed it at the man's head and fired. The man collapsed and died quickly. The other two men drew their swords, and pulled back their hoods to reveal themselves.

"Lady Proudmoore, you cannot trust this man! He really is Jacob Frye!" one of the men insisted.

Jacob shook his head. "All I have in common with him is that I have a Hidden Blade. That I got from an Assassin foolish enough to try to stop me. You two have done the same, and I will do the same thing to you two as I had done to that Assassin. Which is, murder."

Before Jacob could strike, Miranda shot the two Templars dead. "As a token of my appreciation I took them out for you," she said as she threw the revolver on the floor.

In the blink of an eye, Jacob released his Hidden Blade and plunged it into Miranda's stomach. Without missing a beat, Jacob punched her hard, and her body slid away from the Hidden Blade, before falling onto the floor, along with all the other bodies.

"Are…are you really Jacob Frye?" Miranda asked.

Jacob nodded with a sneer. "I thought you would recognise me, but you didn't. That is one mistake you can learn from, in your next life."


	13. Chapter 13

Now it was time to go after Arthur Menethil, former policeman, skilled mercenary and Sage. After hearing of the deaths of his two comrades, Sir Charles Lemington and Miranda Proudmoore, Arthur had retreated to a town he controlled fifty kilometres away from the city, and surrounded the town with mercenaries that he led.

Jacob knew that he could not take out Arthur Menethil alone, especially with all the mercenaries guarding the area. Even with Evie, the task would still be very difficult. He called upon the Rooks to aid in the mission.

In the early morning, five horse-drawn wagons, each carrying a total of four people, were on the road towards the town of Menethilus, an ancient town with a stronghold owned by the noble Menethil family, which Arthur hailed from.

Jacob sat on the back of the first carriage, addressing everyone. "When we arrive at the town, all of us except the five drivers will launch our attack. When that happens, the drivers will get the hell out of the town and hide somewhere nearby, until the job is done. Our numbers are small compared to all the mercenaries that could be in that bloody town. We only have twenty total fighting, and probably twice the number of enemies, so watch out when you're fighting, is that clear?"

"Yes Boss!" all the Rooks answered in unison.

Soon the wagons stopped outside the town. Jacob, Evie and the eighteen Rooks left the wagons, and drew their weapons as they entered the town.

Jacob told the Rooks, "Split up in groups of three, and kill only mercenaries in the town! Only mercenaries, and not civilians! Be sure to fight quickly and efficiently!"

The Rooks split up quickly and rushed off. Jacob said to Evie, "We split up, and we'll rendezvous in front of the stronghold."

Evie nodded. "Stay safe, brother."

Jacob replied, "Same to you, too."

Walking through the medium-sized town, which was littered with mercenaries, Jacob had to encounter some of them, and kill them. A trio of mercenaries were two streets away from where Jacob had entered the town.

Upon seeing the Assassin, the three mercenaries drew their weapons, which were all shortswords, and brandished them. One of them, who was feeling courageous, charged at Jacob, letting out a battle cry.

Stepping to one side, Jacob grabbed the mercenary's sword arm and twisted it, before going low and using his other hand to punch the mercenary in the gut. As the mercenary staggered backwards, Jacob delivered an uppercut punch to his jaw. Since there were brass knuckles incrusted into his Assassin Gauntlet, Jacob's two punches dealt much more pain.

The other two mercenaries, seeing what Jacob had done to their comrade, wanted to avenge their unconscious friend, and attacked Jacob at the same time. Rolling away from them, Jacob got up behind the mercenaries and punched one of them in the back. He had punched so hard that the mercenary's ribs and spine cracked.

As the last mercenary wheeled around, Jacob released his Hidden Blade and stabbed him in his solar plexus. As the three mercenaries lay on the ground, Jacob continued on his journey to the stronghold.

Just one street away from the stronghold, which was now right before Jacob's eyes, he was stopped by a group of five mercenaries, two of them armed with bayonet-attached rifles. The two riflemen loaded their rifles and aimed them at Jacob, preparing to shoot.

With lightning speed, Jacob drew his revolver and shot the two riflemen dead. But not before one of them could fire a bullet from his rifle. The bullet fortunately only grazed him in the shoulder. Jacob ignored the slight pain from his shoulder as he faced off against the three mercenaries.

In the distance Jacob could see Evie battling another group of mercenaries. His Hidden Blade sprang out as Jacob closed in on them. A few slashes and swipes later, the three mercenaries were all down.

Seeing the approaching Jacob, the mercenaries tried to flee, but Jacob fired a sleeping dart at the fastest-running mercenary, causing him to collapse. The remaining two mercenaries froze and raised their hands, signalling their surrender.

"Where is Arthur Menethil?" Jacob asked.

"In the goddamn castle!" one of the mercenaries answered, spitting on the ground.

A moment later Jacob's shoe came in contact with that mercenary's stomach, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Jacob walked a short distance over to the unconscious mercenary and killed him.

"Where is Arthur Menethil?" Jacob repeated his question.

The second mercenary answered, "He's in his room, at the top of the castle. There's a window in his room, which he's probably using right now to look at the carnage going on here. But you'll never get to him. His room is protected by three elite mercenaries and his personal bodyguard."

"We'll see about that," said Jacob before killing the two mercenaries.

Turning to Evie, Jacob gestured at the entrance, "Ladies first."

Evie rolled her eyes as she walked past Jacob and into the castle. The castle courtyard was not as big as they thought it would be, but there were two heavily-armoured mercenaries, who looked more like the stereotypical knight than a mercenary.

"They must be those elite mercenaries," Jacob muttered.

The first elite mercenary drew a broadsword, before charging at Jacob. Jacob rolled out of the way, getting up quickly and then punching the mercenary in the side with his brass knuckles. The mercenary staggered slightly, but recovered before Jacob could land any more hits.

Meanwhile, the second mercenary, who was more aggressive, was attacking Evie. Evie dodged his attacks, which were slow but brutal, fairly easily. She fired her rope launcher at the mercenary, pulling him closer. As the mercenary came in, Evie kicked the mercenary as hard as she could. The armour vibrated as the mercenary grunted in pain. As the mercenary involuntarily moved backwards, Evie found a weakness in the elite mercenary.

"Jacob, the neck! It's unprotected!" she informed.

He heard Evie, and smirked at the first mercenary as he released his Hidden Blade. Charging at the elite mercenary, Jacob kicked him in the knees, and as the mercenary struggled not to fall, he saw the opening in between the helmet and the body armour. Before the elite mercenary could move, Jacob drove his Hidden Blade into the neck, killing him immediately.

The second mercenary was distracted by his comrade's death, and Evie took advantage of it. Drawing her revolver, she fired at the mercenary, and the force of the bullet hitting the armour made him topple. With his exposed area in view, Evie fired a second shot, this time at the mercenary's neck.

After catching their breath, the two of them entered the castle.


	14. Chapter 14

The castle was surprisingly empty of mercenaries, so when Jacob and Evie encountered another elite mercenary guarding a flight of staircases, they knew they were on the right track.

This elite mercenary was much smarter than the others. Instead of choosing to fight them, the mercenary took his helmet off and surrendered. Jacob pointed at the castle exit, signalling for him to get the hell out of there. The mercenary obeyed.

Going all the way up the staircase, Jacob and Evie came onto an empty landing area. Standing there were four mercenaries, who at first sight looked like ordinary mercenaries. But on closer inspection Jacob realised that they were wearing slightly more leather armour, and they were all armed with the same weapons – a sword and two daggers.

One of the mercenaries stepped forward and examined the two Assassins. "You probably thought those lads that looked like damn knights were our elite mercenaries, eh?" he sneered. "Then you're bloody wrong. We are the elite mercenaries."

Before Jacob could react, he was already lying on the floor, with that mercenary standing above him, who now had his dagger and sword in his hands. The mercenary was bringing his sword down on Jacob's body, but fortunately he rolled away before the sword could land on him.

Seeing her brother at risk of being killed, Evie sprang her Hidden Blade, but before she could get to Jacob, two elite mercenaries stopped her. Knowing that the mercenaries were very skilled, Evie had to use the best of her fighting techniques to defeat them.

Going for the second elite mercenary, Evie faked that she was about to switch sides, and as he moved to deflect where he thought Evie's attack would land, she slashed her Hidden Blade at the mercenary. The blade cut through his shoulder pad and scraped the mercenary's skin.

Switching to the third mercenary, Evie brainstormed for a unique technique as she moved and traded blows. Moments later she had a good one. Crouching, Evie made the mercenary think that she was going for his legs, but instead she was actually going for his balls. Squeezing them as hard as she could, Evie relished the agonising scream the third elite mercenary made for a second, before thrusting the Hidden Blade into his balls.

Seconds ago, Jacob was on the ground when he saw his sister made his way to him, only to be stopped by two other mercenaries. He attempted to pull the first mercenary down, but the mercenary moved away swiftly.

Jacob fired his rope launcher at the mercenary, who was shocked to see a rope flying towards him from his enemy's hand. The mercenary felt himself unable to breathe nor swallow. He touched his neck, and felt something wet. A second later the mercenary started making strangulated noises as he collapsed. As Jacob got up, he heard the unmistakable scream of a male's testicles being destroyed.

The third mercenary doubled in pain, trying to stop the blood from the large wound. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his back, before he fell to the floor, dragged towards Jacob by his rope launcher. Once the mercenary was close enough, Jacob kicked him hard in the head, rendering him unconscious. Detaching the end of the rope launcher from the mercenary, Jacob killed him with a punch to the head with his brass knuckles.

Behind him Jacob heard a sword being slid out of its sheath. Loading his dart gun first, Jacob turned around and fired a sleeping dart at the second mercenary, who was behind. The mercenary had expected something like that to happen, and dodged the dart. Both Jacob and Evie were surprised, as almost no one, if not none, had ever dodged their darts. Evie then extended her hand and fired another sleeping dart at the mercenary. This time the dart landed on its target.

As the second mercenary lay on the floor, Jacob walked up to him and killed him swiftly. They then turned to look at the only door in the landing, which was where the fourth mercenary had escaped to. It was also where Arthur Menethil and his bodyguard probably were.

Without even going close to it, Jacob knew the door was locked. He fired his rope launcher at the door, and pulled hard. He had to pull a few times before the door dislodged from its original position. When the door came down, Evie, who was hiding right beside the door, rushed into the room. She charged at the fourth mercenary with astonishing speed, stabbing him in the stomach as she grabbed his shoulder, making him fly a little before falling onto the floor.

Next Jacob rushed into the room, running straight at Arthur's bodyguard, who had a muscular build and was armed with two swords. The bodyguard did not expect Jacob to push him along as Jacob ran straight for the window. There was a loud shatter as the bodyguard's back knocked into the window. The two of them then fell out of the window.

In mid-air the two of them tussled. "You do realise you'll die with me, right?" the bodyguard spat as he punched Jacob in his gut.

Jacob shook his head and aimed at the window, before firing his rope launcher. The bodyguard had a look of astonishment as he hit the ground, dying on impact.

Arthur, thinking that Jacob was already dead, turned around to face Evie, drawing his sword and sneering at her. Arthur Menethil had an average build, but he stood out with his different coloured and sized eyes.

"Quite a few Sages have become Templars," Evie said. "I never expected a Sage of such status to be one of those scumbags."

"Looks can be deceiving, Miss Frye," Arthur said with a polite smile as he closed in on her.

At that moment, a figure flew into the room through the window, landing with a roll and using the momentum to push Arthur onto the floor with a hand. The figure got up and smiled at Evie.

Kicking away the sword, Jacob said, "You thought I was dead, didn't you? I'm not a scum like you, so easily killed."

"We may be scum," Arthur said with a chuckle. "But that part about being easily killed? That's where you're wrong."

His hand shot back to get a grip on Jacob's, and tugged hard. Jacob fell onto Arthur. With Jacob's grip released, Arthur shot out for his sword, only for his hand to be stepped on by Evie.

"Quite impressive, there," Evie mocked, not lifting her foot.

"Let…let go of my foo…foot," pleaded Arthur.

Evie responded by moving her foot forward slightly and applying more strength to it, crushing the bones in Arthur's hand. After that she fulfilled his request, letting go of his hand.

The moment she let go, Arthur tried again to reach for his sword. Jacob reacted quickly, firing his rope launcher into Arthur's back to prevent him from succeeding. Arthur jolted in pain when the tip of it entered his body.

As Arthur's body flew towards him, Jacob released his Hidden Blade, crouching and stabbing Arthur's head with it. Arthur bled on the floor as Jacob cleaned his Hidden Blade, then keeping it.

"May Master de Vita…avenge my death," uttered Arthur, before closing his eyes forever.


	15. Chapter 15

At the exit of the castle Jacob and Evie met with their Rooks. Three Rooks had died during the battle and two more had sustained light injuries.

"How did it go, Boss?" asked one of the Rooks.

Jacob acknowledged the Rook with a nod. "It went well. My target is dead, along with his bodyguard. Let's leave now."

As they walked back through the town, they heard a loud sound, most likely coming from a bugle. Jacob immediately climbed up the nearest building, scanning for the source of the sound.

In the distance, there were many men heading towards the town. Jacob counted roughly forty. Leading the troops was a man on horseback, and Jacob could make out the Templar insignia on the front of the man's clothes. The man was not Marcello de Vita, but was a Templar like him.

Jacob climbed off the building and told his men, "We need to escape, now. There are many men coming after us."

They did not need any further explanation or guidance. The Rooks simply scattered, running out of the town in the opposite direction of the attackers. Jacob and Evie knew that they were unable to defeat them, and quickly fled as well.

Soon the countryside became a bloody battleground. The attacking forces caught up with the Rooks fairly quickly, and they were forced to battle with them, even though it clearly would be a losing battle for the Rooks.

Jacob drew his revolver, firing shots at nearby attackers, who were mostly mercenaries. Jacob reloaded his revolver before swapping with his Hidden Blade.

A Templar had seen Jacob and drew a three-barrel pocket pistol, aiming it at Jacob. But Jacob had noticed the Templar earlier and was already heading for the Templar when he drew his pistol. As the Templar pulled the trigger of the pistol, Jacob grabbed his hand and forced it upwards. The three bullets were fired into the air. The Templar struggled to get away from Jacob, but he was quickly killed with two slashes from the Hidden Blade.

Evie saw one of the Rooks surrounded by three mercenaries. Firing a sleeping dart at the first mercenary, Evie simultaneously shot her rope launcher at the second mercenary, aiming for his head. The third mercenary looked around him, puzzled as to what had happened to his two comrades. The Rook seized the opportunity and killed the mercenary. Walking up to the mercenary shot by the sleeping dart Evie finished him off before he could wake up.

One of the Rooks rushed up to Jacob, and said, "Boss, we can't win this fight, damn it. We need to flee or we'll all die here together."

"I understand," Jacob replied. "But all of us can't possibly leave this area alive. There needs to be a distraction or diversion of some sort."

But before they could do anything, ten of the townsfolk ran into the battlefield, armed with rifles with bayonet attachments. The ten of them halved the enemy numbers in less than twenty seconds.

Their morale drastically increased upon the arrival of the skilled townsfolk, the Rooks pressed on. One minute later majority of the enemies had fallen, leaving only the Templar who had led the troops and two other mercenaries, who seemed to be high-ranking.

The armed townsfolk guarded the captured, while their leader, a man who spoke with a cockney accent, but spoke without any cockney slangs.

"Nice to meet you all," the man bowed as he shook Jacob and Evie's hands. "You two must be the Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, as well as the leaders of the large gang known as the Rooks."

Jacob's eyes widened and prepared to release his Hidden Blade. The man noticed that and smiled. "No, no, Mister Frye. Rest assured I bear no ill intents to you all. I am a good friend of Commissioner Edmund Henderson, who I believe is one of your allies as well. I'm sure Henry didn't mention me to you before, no?"

"Henry?" Evie repeated. "Henry Green, you mean?"

"That's the man," the man nodded. "Well, I just realised I haven't introduced myself! Please excuse my rudeness. I'm Major Tyler Rohl, aged thirty-five. Just call me Tyler. Born in Ireland but my family migrated to England because of the Great Famine."

Jacob asked, "Why are you in civilian dressing, and who are these men?"

"That's a tale for another time," answered Tyler. "Right now we should return to London and get these lads sorted out."

Back in London Tyler interrogated the three men. It was a short interrogation. Within ten minutes of being inside the windowless room, Tyler returned, and ordered for his men to bring the captives away.

"My men and I are a squad of elite infantrymen, who operate in a…unique manner. Instead of marching together and attacking as a big group, we operate quietly and attack either alone or in small groups. Kind of like the Assassin Brotherhood," explained Tyler. "We're official, but not known to many in the public, heck, even in the Army."

"So what are you to the Assassin Brotherhood?" asked Jacob.

Tyler replied, "Oh, I've done Henry a few favours here and there, but he won't remember me probably."

"Well then, welcome to the Brotherhood," said Jacob with a smile. Evie smiled as well.

The smile quickly disappeared as they got on to the more serious stuff. Evie queried, "Do you have any idea who Marcello de Vita is?"

"Ah…yes. Aside from Commissioner Henderson having mentioned the name a few times, I've heard that he's also a very odd merchant, who almost never meets his customers in person. And he owns that jewellery store in West End. He's a big-shot Templar, isn't he?"

Jacob told him, "I need you to help find his location. Marcello's a man in his thirties, not sure how exactly he would look like now, but he has a stocky build, like a professional wrestler's one. I suspect that he likes to smoke."

"That is valuable information, Mister Frye. I'll do my best to look for Marcello de Vita. Of course my men will also be helping. I'll get back to you if I find out anything of value."


End file.
